Improved machine for making rivets



GEORGE I3. BRAYTON, OE PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE BRAYTONRIVET COMPANY.

llVIFROVED MACHINE FOR MAKING HIVIETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. da, t liti, datedNovember 15, 18,64.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, GEORGE B. BRAY'roN, of Providence, in the county ofProvidence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and usefulltivetMachine; and I hereby declare that the following' is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which` Figure lis a plan view of a machine orapparatus constructed in accordance with this my invention Fig. 2, anend elevation of the same 5` and Figs. 3 and 4, sectional elevations onlines a' 00 and y y, respectively, in Fig. l.

This invention relates to a new method of and apparatus for makingrivets, having for result the production of a rivet of a peculiarconstruction, for which Letters Patent of the United States were grantedto me on the 26th day of May, 1863.

For the better understanding of the machine, subject of this patent, Ishall brieiiy refer to the mode of making rivets which underlies theprinciple of this invention. The heads and shanks or stems ofthe rivets,which are made of two distinct pieces of metal, are united by forcin gthe stem into the head while the latter is at a welding-heat. To effectthis under the best condition, the shank is at first but partlypenetra-ted into the head-blank and' is held in that position for ashort space of time in order to allow the shank end in the head-blank topartake of the temperature of the latter sufficiently to become soft orductile. The shank is then forced into the head against a finishing-dieto the full extent of calculated penetration, the effect of which is theupsetting or spreading of the end of the shank within the head, thusproducing a dovetail joint, the strength of which is increased by theshrinking o f the head upon the shank.

'Ihe object of this invention is to produce such rivets by machinery;and it consists, iirst, in a machine operating as described so as toform a rivet by forcing the shank into the head, substantially asdescribed; second, in combining` in one machine thel following elements:First, a mechanism for feeding the wire or rod to a cutter, dividingitinto shanks, and a mechanism for feeding the heads into the machine,as hereinafter described; second, a pair of nippers or grippers seizingthe shank and conveying it successively to the head-blank and hammer andtheheader; third, a plunger or hammer actuated to insert the shank intothe head-blank, and a header to force the shank home into the headagainst the heading-die; fourth, a means for stripping the header of thenished rivet; third, in the employment of a pair of grippers whichreceive the shanks, one at a time, and whose motion is such as topresent them rst to the plunger or hammer for insertion ot' the shank'into the head, then convey them to the header,

and then release them, substantially as hereinafter more fullyexplained; fourth, in the combination of the cutter, severing the wiieor rod as it is fed into the machine, with a gripping-lever mounted uponthe cutter-stock, so that the two being actuated by suitable cams movetogether in their translatory movement, though acting as grippers, asbefore referred to and hereinafter more fully described; fifth, in thecombination of feed-rollers feeding the wire or rod during the intervalsof action of the plunger and header, as described, with a cutter andgripping-lever for action together, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth; sixth, in combining with a hopper for supplying themachine with rivet-head blanks a carrier so arranged as to seize onehead-blank at a time, presenting it to the plunger in position for theinsertion of the shank, as set forth 5 seventh, in the combination of astationary heading die with a movable header, the latter being recessedto inclose the shank while compressing the head-blank; eighth, in thecombination, with the header, of a central plunger, movable within saidheader and arranged to force the shank into the head, substantially asdescribed, ninth, in the means hereinafter described for regulating thestroke of the plunger within the header, according to the length of theshank, and to compensare for wear, substantially as hereinafter setforth 5 tenth, inthe employment, in combination, with the header andcentral plunger, of a stationary block, or the equivalent thereof, toarrest the plunger during part of its receding motion with the header,for the purpose of electing the finished rivet in the header,hereinafter described, eleventh, in combining with the hammer forsetting the shank into the head of the rivet a means for adjusting thesame accord ing to the length of the shank and to compensate for wear,substantially as set forth, twelfth, in the friction-mount upon itspivot of the segmental cog-wheel which imparts reciprocating rotarymovement to the blankcarrier so as to prevent the breaking of parts ofthe machinery should they by accident or otherwise become clogged,substantially as set forth.

To enable others to make and use my improved rivet-machine,I shall nowproceed to describe in detail its construction and operation;and,referringto the accompanying drawmgs- A is the frame, built entirelyof iron, `or of wood strengthened by iron. Upon and within this frameare established the working parts of the machine. At the sides of theframe and in the rear thereof are arranged suitable bearings, B,inclosing the main shaft C, which receives rotary motion from somevprime mover and transmits it to the working parts of the machine. Theone end of the shaft is provided with abevel gear-wheel, D, which meshesinto a similar wheel, D', fast upon a shaft, E, ruiming along the sidesof the frame, upon which shaft are mounted four cams, F, G, H, and I,whose functions will be described more fully hereinafter. At the forwardend of the machine, hung in suitable brackets for the purpose provided,are arranged two corrugated leed-rollers, K K', which seize and feedinto the machine the wire or rod of which the shanks of the rivets arecomposed. The movement of these feed rollers is derived from the groovedcamwheel F,i11 whose groove works the pin or friction-roller of anupright arm, L, mounted upon a horizontal bar, N, sliding in guides oropenings provided in the side brackets, M. To this horizontal bar isjointed a connectingrod, with which is articulated the pawl-lever O,which meshes in with the teeth of a ratchetwheel, P, fast on the end ofthe shaft of the under feed roller. The revolution of the camwheel F,therefore, causes the sliding bar N to reciprocate, which movement,being transmitted to the lower end of the pawl-lever, causes it tovibrate upon its fulcrum, which is the shaft of the lower feed-roller.The vibratory motion of the pawl lever actuates the ratchet-wheel in butone direction, thus producing intermittent rotary lnotion of thefeedrollers, the amount of feed or intermittent rotary motion beingcalculated according to the length of the shank of the rivet. Thecam-wheel G transmits its rotary movement in a similar manner to ahorizontal sliding bar, N, which is connected through the intermediaryof a pitman with the vertical arm of a horizontal segmental cog-wheel,Q, whose vibratory movement is transmitted to a pinion, B, on the shaftS of the blank-carrier V, giving it a quarter-revolution to eachrevolution of the main shaft or to each stroke of the machine. f

The rivet-head blanks, which, as before stated, are first heated in asuitable furnace, are placed in a hopper or pipe, T, of a diameter butslightly exceeding that of the headblanks, so that the same may be heldwithin the hopper, piled up one above the other. On the front side thehopper is slotted to allow of the blanks being inserted or taken out ofthe tube by means of tongs, and the hopper is secured to the machine bymeans of a plate extending sidewise in such manner that the tube may beheld, at a distance equal to or slightly exceeding the depth of a blank,away from the support underneath. Itis in this intermediate spacebetween the hopper andthe supporting-block that the carrier in itsmotion travels along the cylindrical surface of the block U. Theblank-carrier is indented in front, forming a fork, which seizes thelowermost blank in the hopper and carries it forward and down thecylindrical surface of the block into position and in time for the shankto be pressed into the head-blank. As soon as this operation isperformed, the blank-carrier recedes into position for anotheroperat-ion. The main shaft C is provided with a cam, W, which actuatesthe hammer X, which presses the shank of the rivet'into the blank assoon as brought in position by the blankcarrier, as before described.This plunger is composed of two parts, confined within suitable ways andunited by means of a right-andleft hand screw or by means ot' anordinary screw secured in. one portion and loose in the other, butprovided with a nut, a, so that by turning the said nut thelength of theplunger may be increased or decreased at pleasure, to compensate forwear or to regulate the distance ofthe block from the face of thehammer, according to the length of the shank.

The header Y is also confined within sliding blocks and receives itsreciprocating motion from the main shaft C, with an eccentric portion ofwhich it is connected by means of the link Z. A central hole of adiameter but slightly exceeding that of the shank passes through theheader, allowing the stem or shank of the rivet to enter therein whilethe head is being formed. Vithin the central orifice of the header isarranged a plunger, b, the rear end of which is screw-threaded, carryinga nut, c, which regulates the play of the plunger within the header. Astationary block, d, projecting upwardly from the bed of the header, isprovided for the plunger to strike against when the header recedes, thusejecting the formed rivets from the header. The heading-die e is in theface of the block g, in line with the axis of the header.

The wire rod is fed into the machine by means of the rollers K and Kthrough an oritice terminating in the cylindrical block U. When therequisite amount of wire or rod for one shank is fed through the orificein the block, the cutter or punch h is'advanced by direct action ofthecam H and shears oif the piece used for the shank, and simultaneouslywith this operation the gripper z' is caused, in

conjunction with the cutter, to seize the shank thus out. rlhe two camsG and H are so constructed as to perform these operations of cutting andseizing the shank immediatelyin advance of the head-blank being broughtinto position. rIhey are further so constructed as to impart to thecutter or punch and the gripper an intermittent motionthat is to say,iirst advance opposite the head-blank on the one side and the hammer onthe other side, and remain stationary until the hammer shall haveadvanced and forcibly inserted the shank of the rivet into the head;then advance again until both the shank andthe head are brought oppositethe header and remain stationary until the heading-blow shall have beenstruck, and then immediately recede to its original position. Thesemotions are all given by the cams, with the exception of the backmovements, which are determined by a powerful spring, on.

rIhe operation of thismachine as a whole will be understood from thefollowing: rIhe end of a coil of wire, (if wire be used,) being engagedbetween the rollers and the hopper, charged with a pile of blanks heatedto a forging temperature, the machine is started. Ilotary motion fromthe main shaft which operates the hammer and header is transmitted tothe shaft carrying the cam-wheels and cams which actuate the cutter,blank-carrier, and grippers, in the manner as follows: The wire is iirstfed forward a distance such as that the quantity projecting from theface of the block be equal the length of theintended shank, at themoment the blank-carrier seizes a head-blank and carries it down intoposition opposite the hammer, while at the same time the cutter isadvanced to shear oif the piece of wire, which, by means of the cuttertogether with the gripper, is seized and carried in front of the ham merand is held between the blank and the hammer, (its axis corresponding tothe center of the blank,) until the hammer shall have given its blowwhereby the sh ankis caused to penetrate thehead-blank and be embodiedtherewith. In the meantime the blank-carrier recedes, clearing the pathfor the gripper to advance and to convey the now united shank andhead-blank to the header. Vhen the rivet is thus brought in position,the head-blank rests on the head-die while the shank faces the orificein the header. Now, as the header advances to give the iinishing-strokethe rivet-shank becomes engaged in the central orifice of the header,and the grippers release their hold on the rivet and recede to theirnormal position. The header driving the blank into the concaveheadingdie will finish the head of the rivet, and at the same time theplunger within the header, but"- ting by means of its nut against thecrosspiece m of the header, will force the shank up and into the head,the two thus becoming dovetailed together, as hereinbefore referred to.On receding from the head-die the header carries the finished rivet withit until the rear end of the plunger buts against the stationary blockd, whereby the rivet is discharged and dropped into a receiver below.These successive operations are repeated for every rivet.

To provide against breaking of the machine or any parts thereof, if byaccident or otherwise a blank should clog the carrier or other part, Imount the segmental cog-wheel upon its shaft by means of a frictiondevice sufficiently powerful to cause the cog-wheel to move with theshaft when the path is clear, but yielding in case anything shouldobstruct the free working of the carrier. In this Way the principalparts of the machine may continue to operate without danger of breaking.

Having thus fully described my invention, I shall state my claims asfollows:

1. A machine operating as described, so as to form a rivet by forcingthe shank into the head, substantially as described.

2. The combination in one machine of the following elements: rst, amechanism for feeding the wire or rod to a cutter dividing it intoshanks, and a mechanism for feeding the heads into the machine, asherein described; second, a pair of nippers or grippers seizing theshank and conveying it successively to the head-blank and hammer and theheader, as herein described; third, a plunger or hammer actuated toinsert the shank into the headblank and a header to force the shank homeinto the head against the heading-die; fourth, a means for stripping theheader of the finished rivet.

3. rEhe employment of a pair of grippers which receive the shanks one ata time and whose motion is such as to present them first to the plungeror hammer for insertion ofthe shank into the head, then conveying themto the header, and then release them, substantially as set forth.

et. The combination of the cutter severing the wire or rod as it is fedinto the machine with a gripping-lever mounted upon the cutter-stock sothat the two, being actuated by suitable cams, move together in theirtranslatory movement, though acting as grippers, substantially as beforedescribed.

5. rlhe combination of feed-rollers feeding the wire or rod during theintervals of action of the plunger and header, as described, with acutter and gripping-leverfor action together, substantially as and forthe purposes set forth.

6. The combination of a hopper for supplying the machine with rivet-headblanks with a carrier so arranged as to seize one head-blank at a time,presenting it to the plunger in position for the insertion of the shank,as set forth.

7. The means herein described for regulating tlie stroke of the plungerwithin the header, according to the length of the shank and tocompensate for Wear, substantially as Iu testimony whereof I have signedthis SGU EOTL Specification in presence of two witnesses.

8. In combination with the hammer for set- *fing the shank into the headof the rivet, a, GEO- B- BRAYTON.

means for adjusting the same according to vWitnesses:

the length of the shank and to compensa/fe A. POLLOK,

for Wear, substantially as seb forth. JOHN A. TAUBERSGHMLDT.

